Blade Boy Franchise
The Blade Boy franchise is a series of RPGs released by Nintendo. The first game in this franchise was released in 1987. Overview Vincent Starci, a 10-year-old who wields the Ancient Blade of the Elements, ends up dealing with various invasions with the help of mysterious creatures known as "Elements" and his wizard-esque sister Sophia. Games Blade Boy (1987, NES) This game focuses more on Vincent himself than the explanation behind the invasion present in the title. As described in the manual, however, the monsters invaded Vincent's house knowing his family possessed the Ancient Blade of the Elements. Blade Boy's gameplay is very simple - the player has three elements in the form of Fire, Water and Wind. Each element can be commanded to attack an enemy or heal an ally. Fire is best at attacking, Water is best at healing and Wind is equally skilled in both areas. Between turns, Vincent can use Blade Arts to boost his elements, although only three can be used per battle to keep things balanced. There are fifteen Stages, each with different enemies and a number of sidequests that can be played to earn Stars. Super Blade Boy (1992, Super NES) Super Blade Boy's plot is more complex than the previous title. In this game, the elements end up running madcap courtesy of an invasion of monsters. This game's gameplay is different from the original, as instead of jumping right into stages, the player has to journey the Overworld to receive missions. The battles are like those of the original, although the player has a fourth element called Earth. Elements can also defend themselves (Earth is best at this) and can use Charges to improve their abilities. This game also marked the first appearance of Sophia (known as Sophie in this title). The Art of Blade Boy (1994, Game Boy) In this game, a vampire bat from outer space steals all of the colour from the world, forcing Vincent to collect the various colours and return them to their shrines. This game returns to the play style of the original, but retains various features from Super Blade Boy, such as the Charges and the Earth element. There are also more levels with 20 instead of 15, and for the first time in the series, a Bestiary that lets you research different monster types. Blade Boy and the 64 Threats (1997, N64) This title focuses on alien beings called the "64 Threats", who create a hole in time, thus leading to Vincent and Sophia seeking out and defeating the 64 Threats. Sticking to Super Blade Boy's gameplay, this game is fully three dimensional and gives Vincent the ability to use the Ancient Blade of the Elements to destroy obstacles on the overworld. Also added are a wider variety of abilities for the elements, which vary depending on their form, and a much wider range of Charges. It also marks the first appearance of boss fights in the series, in the form of the 64 Threats. Blade Boy and the Box of Secrets (2001, GBA) The first game in the "Box" saga. In this game, the Box of Secrets gets destroyed by a savage tribe of zombies. Upon discovering this courtesy of Sophia's best friend, Samantha, Vincent heads out to repair it. The gameplay of The Art of Blade Boy is used here, with 25 stages and 5 boss fights. It also features the Charges and new abilities from Blade Boy and the 64 Threats. There are also several Minigames, and the ability to collect new elements which can fuse with your existing ones to power them up. This game also marks Sophia's first appearance on a handheld and the first Blade Boy game to feature dialogue. Blade Boy and the Box of Lies (2003, GameCube) The second game in the "Box" saga. In this game, the Box of Lies gets opened by a mysterious excavator, unleashing an army of ghosts who kidnap Samantha, leading to the start of Vincent's next adventure. This game plays out like The 64 Threats but retains the things that made Box of Secrets such a hit, those being the "Element Fusing" system (now improved so that you can fuse two different elements to make new elements) and the inclusion of dialogue, while also adding new mechanics like training attacks onto elements and playing with your elements to make them friendlier and thus better in combat. As for the overworld gameplay, Vincent is now able to use five "Blade Talents" on the overworld to get past obstacles or make travelling easier. Blade Boy Remastered: Elemental Hero (2005, DS) This game is simply a remastered collection of the original game, Super Blade Boy and The Art of Blade Boy. The graphics used in this game were later used for Text Code Backwards. Blade Boy: Text Code Backwards (2007, DS) In this game, a space virus shoots a laser beam at the planet, turning ALL of its text into explosive vocabulary. Upon finding this out, Vincent ends up heading on an adventure to unlock the Seven Pixel Seals. While it sticks to Box of Secrets' gameplay, albeit with a total of 30 levels and different minigames, this game retains the training and playing from Box of Lies, along with the more complex fusing. The game also has an achievement system and is the first game in the series to feature voice acting. Blade Boy: Four Elements (2009, Wii) Starting where Text Code Backwards left off, this game starts with Blade Boy reaching an abandoned space station high in the sky, almost defeating the alien army before getting caught in their traps, having the powers of the elements stolen from him to create a brand new planet, which is infested with hostile beings bent on invading Earth. Retaining the gameplay of Box of Lies, while keeping the achievement system and voice acting of Text Code Backwards, this game puts a focus on Vincent's new-found ability to switch between four parallel dimensions representing each element at will, while also adding the ability to jump on the overworld. The player can also gather items and use them on their Elements during battle in this title. Blade Boy Remastered: The Boxes and the Threats (2011, 3DS) This game is simply a remastered collection of Blade Boy and the 64 Threats, Blade Boy and the Box of Secrets and Blade Boy and the Box of Lies. The graphics used in this game were later used for Song of the Planet. Blade Boy and the Song of the Planet (2013, 3DS) This game focuses on the thievery of the Eight Instruments of Life, which leads to the Earth beginning to rot away. Consequently, Vincent has to find the instruments before it's too late. This game's gameplay is much like Text Code Backwards, although items are still in play. Also available is the ability to use instruments to change the weather and alter the tide of battle, and a special daily event. Blade Boy and the Sorrow of the Sky (2015, Wii U) In this game, a gateway to the sky is unlocked by sun-dwelling demons. Vincent then proceeds to explore this brand-new place while saving the planet from an invasion from the monsters of the sky. Retaining the gameplay of Four Elements, Sorrow of the Sky allows Vincent to absorb excess elements to transform into alternate forms with a variety of special abilities. Daily events can also be found on the overworld. In battle, Vincent can influence his elements by changing the weather and can give a temporary boost to his elements by adding his elemental powers to theirs. Blade Boy: Waking Weapon (2017, Switch) Part of the series' 30th anniversary, the "Year of the Blade". Vincent is in for a shock when the Ancient Blade of the Elements transforms into a mass of glowing white energy. After discovering from Sophia that this is the blade's sign that it wants to transfer through dimensions to become stronger than before, Vincent heads out to return it to its original pedestal on the surface of the moon. This game's gameplay is like that of Sorrow of the Sky, although while on the overworld the player uses the two sides of the Switch and swings them to attack savage elements in order to revert them to their pure state. The battles now give Elements the default ability to divide their attacks, healing and defence between all available targets with a reduced effect. Spell Girl (2017, Switch) Part of the series' 30th anniversary, the "Year of the Blade". This game is a remastered collection of the first six games in which the player controls Sophia. Vincent is nowhere to be seen in this collection. Blade Boy Remastered: Rhythmatic Coding Element (2017, Switch) Part of the series' 30th anniversary, the "Year of the Blade". This game is a remastered collection of Blade Boy: Text Code Backwards, Blade Boy: Four Elements and Blade Boy and the Song of the Planet. Anime Blade Battle (2001-2004) This anime adaption is very, very unfocused in regards to plot. Elements go around looking for a fight, accompanied by those who carry Ancient Blades of the Elements (yes, there is more than one Ancient Blade of the Elements in this adaption). This anime is stated to take place in an adaption of the real world. Blade Travels (2007-present) In this adaption, Vincent and Sophia end up in an exact copy of their home world (how this happened is never explained) and go on a variety of adventures. This adaption is a lot more faithful to the games than Blade Battle. Some Useful Things *Blade Boy Franchise/Characters *Blade Boy Franchise/Bestiary Category:Blade Boy